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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26298193">Not That Injured</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick'>Impala_Chick</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fantasizing, M/M, Medical Kink, Sexual Fantasy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:53:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,238</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26298193</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gaius gets a new assistant, Pellinore gets bandaged, and Arthur gets distracted.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Kinkalot 2020, Season of Kink</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Not That Injured</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the <i>Medical kink</i> square for Kinkalot 2020 and the <i>Fantasies</i> square for Season of Kink 2020.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a long day of training already. The sun had been beating down on them relentlessly, and every single knight was covered in sweat and out of breath. Arthur probably should have called it about twenty minutes ago. Because he hadn’t, Pellinore didn’t block Arthur’s strike quickly enough. Luckily, Arthur pulled back at the last minute, but the whole situation ended with a gash down Pellinore’s forearm. </p><p>Arthur felt so guilty about it that he valiantly dashed off to Gaius’ chambers for some bandages.</p><p>Once he pushed open the chamber door, he came face to face with someone he’d never met before. The man was just as tall as Arthur, with a mop of dark hair and sparkling blue eyes.</p><p>“Where’s Gaius?” Arthur blurted out, bewildered. Since when did Gaius keep such young and attractive company? </p><p>“He’s at the market. I’m his assistant. Can I help you with something?” The man inquired.</p><p>Arthur was still holding the door open awkwardly, debating whether he should just leave and find Gaius. But if Gaius had picked an assistant, surely this man wasn’t wholly incompetent. </p><p>“I need a bandage. Sir Pellinore has been injured.” </p><p>The man’s eyes widened. “Well, why didn’t you say something!” He dashed over to the shelf under the window, grabbed a brown satchel, and pushed past Arthur to run towards the practice field.</p><p>“He’s not <i>that</i> injured,” Arthur huffed in the man’s general direction. But he was already halfway down the corridor, so Arthur ran to keep up.</p><p>---</p><p>Pellinore was leaning against a table, holding his arm straight out for the man to bandage. The man’s careful fingers moved confidently as he wound the bandage around the knight’s arm and tied a quick knot. Arthur was impressed with how quickly and efficiently the man worked.</p><p>Pellinore looked down and appraised the bandage. “Thanks. That’ll work fine. What’s your name again?”</p><p>“Merlin,” the man said with a smile.</p><p>“Great to meet you, Merlin.” Pellinore slapped Merlin on the back, and Merlin smiled. The way Merlin's face lit up when he did so was quite distracting.</p><p>“Yeah, well. You better have Gaius look it over later,” Arthur instructed. He’s not even sure why he said it, but he’d accepted Gaius’ authority in the medical field unquestioningly his whole life. Gaius was old and a member of the royal court, someone who had long been trusted by the King. After all, the man had practically raised Arthur. Merlin, on the other hand, was someone completely different and completely unexpected, and getting used to him was going to be an adjustment. </p><p>Those differences might have explained why Arthur was suddenly picturing Merlin’s gentle hands on <i>him</i> instead of Pellinore, checking him for wounds or bandaging a cut. He wondered what it would be like for Merlin to appraise his naked body, taking stock of his vices and virtues. He wanted to know what Merlin’s bedside manner would be like, considering Merlin could not have been much older than Arthur. </p><p>“Ah, don’t listen to the Prince. He just gets a little fussy when he injures one of his fellow knights,” Pellinore teased. He slapped Merlin on the back again before heading towards the castle. The rest of the Knights followed suit, which left Arthur awkwardly milling about, staring at Merlin’s hands while he gathered things from the table and packed up his satchel.</p><p>“So <i>you’re</i> the Prince?” Merlin asked, his voice just a touch too incredulous for Arthur’s taste.</p><p>“And what of it?” Arthur puffed out his chest, already on edge. Maybe he’d been caught staring.</p><p>“I just expected you to be… taller.” Merlin put the strap of his satchel over his shoulder and straightened up. He was smirking, which made him look unfairly attractive.</p><p>“Yeah? Well I was expecting you to be… more polite.”</p><p>“So you were expecting me?” Merlin quipped. </p><p>Arthur raised his eyebrows, taken aback by Merlin’s presumptuousness. He trotted off towards the castle without giving Arthur a chance to respond. The brightness of the day was giving way to dusk, but Arthur could still clearly make out the shape of Merlin’s arse. </p><p>Arthur groaned. He was in so much trouble.</p><p>---</p><p>It wasn’t unusual for Arthur to go long stretches without seeing Gaius. He hardly ever needed a doctor. He didn’t train every day for hours without learning how to protect himself from the sharp swords of other Knights. </p><p>But maybe he was going to have to change that, because he couldn’t stop thinking about Merlin. Merlin’s sparkling blue eyes, and shapely fingers, and taught arse, and quick wit… Arthur had never felt such a yearning. </p><p>It proved to be quite the distraction, but also quite the awakening for him. Sure, he’d heard of men enjoying the company of men, and he’d had passing fantasies of his own about people he’d met.</p><p>But his fantasies about Merlin were much more detailed.</p><p>Arthur would picture himself sitting on the wooden bench in Gaius’ chambers while Merlin walked around him. Maybe Merlin would ask him to pull his tunic over his head, so that he could get a better look at the injury. Arthur would shiver from Merlin’s firm touch as Merlin felt around the wound, and then he’d stare at Merlin’s plush mouth while Merlin listened for his heartbeat.</p><p>Surely Merlin would have to reach for some type of salve, and maybe Arthur would get a peek at his stomach. Or maybe he’d drop something, and then have to bend over to get it. </p><p>Arthur didn’t exactly wish to get sick, because he knew it was stupid to tempt fate in such a way. But he did wonder what it would be like if Merlin had to watch over him for an extended period. He figured Merlin would tell him when to eat and drink. He might even hold a bowl or cup up to Arthur’s lips to make sure he did as he was instructed. </p><p>Maybe if Arthur was feverish, Merlin would have to strip him and wash him down with a cloth. He’d have to run his hands all over Arthur’s body, and check his temperature regularly. Merlin would probably press a cold rag to his sweaty brow for hours at a time.</p><p>Arthur wanted all of that. He wanted Merlin to boss him around, dote on him, maybe even hold him down during a fever dream. Arthur wanted to be taken care of. He wanted to be the one to hold all of Merlin’s attention.</p><p>All of the daydreaming ended up costing Arthur on the training field.</p><p>Arthur only took his eyes off of Pellinore for a moment, but that was enough. Pellinore gave back what Arthur had given him, which was really well deserved. The sharp tip of his sword cut across Arthur’s chest, and Arthur hissed from the initial pain of it. When Arthur looked down, he could see blood trickling out of a thin gash. </p><p>“Are you okay?” Pellinore asked, his voice a little breathless. When Arthur didn’t answer immediately, Pellinore cocked his head and squinted his eyes at him. “Why are you grinning, mate?” </p><p>Arthur hadn’t even realized he was smiling, but he quickly shrugged and turned his expression into one that looked suitably pained. He gestured down at his chest. “Guess I better go get this looked at.”</p><p>It definitely hadn’t been on purpose, because Arthur didn’t throw fights. But this one time, Arthur was extremely happy to have lost.</p>
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